EF Tours and Worldwide Travel Alert

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The U.S. State Department issued a Travel Alert on Sunday, May 1 for U.S. citizens living and traveling abroad through August. The alert encourages U.S. travelers to avoid areas where mass gatherings and demonstrations may take place while traveling abroad. However,the current Travel Alert in no way discourages people from traveling abroad.

What’s the difference between a Travel Alert and a Travel Warning?

A Travel Alert provides information about short-term conditions that may pose a risk to U.S. citizens, including natural disasters, threats of violence or high-profile events. A Travel Warning, on the other hand, is when long-term, protracted conditions make a specific country dangerous or unstable and the State Department recommends that Americans should not travel to that country. EF does not produce tours to destinations under a Travel Warning. For example, when the State Department issued a Travel Warning earlier this year for Japan, we suspended all of our tours, giving groups the option to travel somewhere elseor receive a refund. A Travel Alert, however, does not discourage people from traveling.

Is my tour still running?

Yes, all of our tours are running as scheduled. We follow the guidelines of the U.S. State Department. The Travel Alert does not advise U.S. citizens to not travel abroad; it only asks them to take precautions, which all EF Tour Directors are trained to do. Of course, all of our travelers also are covered by our Peace of Mind Program, which gives groups the flexibility to change their tour or their departure date up until 35 days before departure.

What is EF doing about this Travel Alert?

Our top priority at all times is the safety and security of our travelers. As we always do, we are continually monitoring events through our offices in Europe and around the world. This is one of the big advantages of planning a tour with EF. Our extensive worldwide presence and our 24-hour emergency support system mean that we are able to react quickly to any situation that might affect our groups.

What if my group wants to cancel our tour?

We have a flexible Peace of Mind Program for just this situation. Our Peace of Mind Program allows groups to change their tours and/or departure dates until 35 days prior to departure. For groups that do decide to cancel their tours, participants will receive a Future Travel Voucher for everything they’ve paid (minus their $95 Enrollment Fee and anynonrefundable fees).

What if something happens right before my tour or while we’re on tour?

Our top priority at all times is the safety and security of our travelers. We will continue to monitor the situation in Europe and worldwide, and we will do everything we can to keep all ofour travelers safe. Our extensive network of offices around the world means we’re prepared to handle anything that might affect our tours, no matter how small. If the situation changes prior to your departure, we will continue to offer our groups as much flexibility as possible.

Do you have thoughts, questions, or ideas you'd like to share?Feel free to email us at equator@ef.com.